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Heart Foundation staff skipping at a Jump Rope for Heart event

What we do

About us

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What we do

We are working towards heart health for every Australian

Our vision 

Heart health will be achievable by everyone in Australia by 2050. (View our Health for Every Heart strategy for 2025–2050)

Our mission 

To reduce heart disease and improve the heart health and quality of life of all people in Australia through prevention, support, care, advocacy, and research.

Our purpose 

To lead a national movement for better heart health – preventing disease, saving lives, and supporting every heart.

Our values 

Our values represent how we have evolved, and how we wish to continue working into the future. They guide the way we work together.

Trustworthy and Accountable

We keep our promises and take responsibility for our actions and their impact.

Ambitious and Measured

We set bold goals and pursue them thoughtfully, balancing aspiration with grounded thinking, patience and care.

Informed and Aware

We make decisions informed by the best evidence, context and a broad understanding of our environment, supporters and stakeholders.

Collaboration and Partnership

We work together, build strong relationships, and achieve more through teamwork and shared purpose.

Curiosity and Humility

We are eager to learn, open to new ideas, and value the perspectives and expertise of others.

Our key achievements 

$850+ million invested in research 

Since our inception in 1959, we’ve invested an incredible $850 million (in today’s dollars) into world-leading research programs, including $13.7 million in 2024 alone.

10 million kids get skipping 

Since its launch in 1983, more than 10 million kids have participated in Jump Rope for Heart, raising over $115 million. This wonderful initiative helps to keep primary school children active and promote the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy heart.  

Heart Health Checks

In 2019, our ‘Serial Killer’ campaign aimed to reignite the public conversation about coronary heart disease. The campaign also looked to advance the Heart Foundation’s long-standing call for a Medicare-funded Heart Health Check. Just seven days post launch the government agreed to Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) funded Heart Health Checks from 1 April 2019.

As of 28 February 2025, 871,902 Heart Health Checks have been completed.

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Guideline and accompanying CVD Risk Calculator

The National Heart Foundation of Australia, in collaboration with the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (ACDPA), including Diabetes Australia, Kidney Health Australia, and the National Stroke Foundation, has created a new Guideline and calculator. These tools are designed to empower GPs, nurses, and healthcare practitioners in preventing cardiovascular disease in the 8 million Australians without a CVD diagnosis. By the end of 2023, 5 months since its release the calculator has already been used over half a million times.

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